


the doctor is in

by carefulren



Category: The Doctors are Out, Webtoon - Fandom
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Panic, Sickfic, Stressed Character, Whump, Whumpfic, of nando and ren being lost in the rain and woods, set after all the drama llama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 07:02:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28684506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carefulren/pseuds/carefulren
Summary: Nando thinks he's too stressed to sleep, but as it turns out, he's got a fever, and Mat's there to help.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 21





	the doctor is in

By all accounts, Nando should be exhausted, having tumbled down a cliff and walked on an injured foot in the rain for hours, but, despite the bone deep fatigue pushing down on him, he can’t sleep. It could be the foreign bed, he thinks; though, he finds Mat’s bed to be rather comfortable. It could also be the absurd, embarrassing pajamas, or rather, pajamas that he’s stupidly well aware Mat has worn at some point. It could be Mat...

He shakes his head, pushing a warm cheek into the pillow below him. As much as he wants to believe his restlessness is the sheer result of his current sleeping situation, down to the clothing, he knows, familiarly deep down, that the stress from today’s weighing down hot over him. He was careless, yet despite all odds against them, he and Ren were served the best possible outcome: Ren wasn’t injured, and they were found. 

Nando rolls onto his back with a sigh. He stares at the ceiling, but behind his eyes, all he can see are rain, dark, towering trees, and Ren’s tear-stricken face etched painfully into his head. He pushes himself up and swings his legs over the bed. Carefully, he slips down until he’s testing pressure on his injured foot. While the wrapping helps, it aches, and he winces as he stands, immediately favoring his other leg as he hobbles out of the room and to the bathroom. 

He’s quiet, catiously bracing himself against the wall, and he when he slips inside, he cracks the door, not wishing for the sound of it closing fully to wake anyone, and cuts on the light. He limps to the mirror, frowning at his reflection. His cheeks are hot and flushed, and he bends down to splash cold water over his face, to alleviate some of the heat clinging to his skin. It’s both too cold yet refreshing, and Nando knows he should find that alarming; however, his head’s beginning to swim, and he just manages to drop down against the edge of bathtub. 

He hunches forward, resting his elbows on his knees and dropping his face into his cupped palms. It’s too hot, yet he’s shivering. As much as he tries through muted breathing and counting exercies, he can’t shake the budding panic that’s swelling deep within his stomach, panic and stress tangling around one another. He should have been more careful; he knows this. He and Ren got lucky, and luck’s a tricky thing, he thinks. In the present, it’s a blessing, but in the future, when you have time to ponder all that could have gone wrong had it not been for sheer luck, it’s almost maddening. 

“Nando?”

Nando jerks his head up, frowning, eyes stinging. He swallows thickly. “S-sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” He studies Mat’s frown, the deep downward curve that pairs with the furrow of his brow. 

“Are you okay? You look flushed.” 

Sighing, Nando opts for a nervous laugh that doesn’t quite hit its mark. He opens his mouth to assure Mat he’s fine, but Mat’s moved to a crouch before him, and he’s dropped one, warm hand to his knee. 

“You’re shaking.” 

Right, Nando thinks. You’d be shaking, too, if you almost got Ren killed. Again, he makes to speak, to brush of Mat’s concern because Mat has enough to worry about, but then Mat presses the back of his hand to Nando’s forehead, and Nando’s brain briefly short-circuits. 

“You have a fever,” Mat starts. He stands and moves toward the mirror, opening it to rifle through medicine, and Nando can only watch blankly, his fuzzy mind still wrapping around Mat’s words. 

He wordlessly obliges when Mat waves a thermometer in front of his face, opening his mouth on auto-pilot and trusting Mat to handle the rest, and it’s not until the small device beeps that his mind swirls to the conclusion that he’s been here before: with his mom, Ava, Mary. Since he can remember, he’s been gripped with brief fevers after experiencing something that peaked his stress levels, and this, he thinks, is no different. 

“Not too high, but still concerning,” Mat mutters, abandoning the thermometer on the sink to reclaim his spot crouched in front of Nando. He prods at Nando’s wrapped foot. “Is this bothering you a lot?” 

“What?” Nando blinks slowly, shaking his head. “No. No, it’s... I’m fine, Mat. This just happens sometimes.” 

“Not to pull out the doctor card, Nando, but I am one. And unexplained, sporadic fevers aren’t normal-”

“-they usually come when I’m really stressed,” Nando mutters, and he drops his gaze to the floor, not wishing to linger on the way Mat’s face shifts to unfiltered, genuine sympathy through soft, warm eyes. 

“Nando...”

“It’s fine,” Nando starts again, far too focused on Mat’s steady hand once more gently placed atop his knee. “I just came in here for some water. Once I go to sleep, I’ll be fine.” To his surprise, Mat doesn’t respond, only offering a few pills and a glass of water after an endless moment of his eyes burning against Nando’s bowed face. 

It’s not until Mat helps Nando back into bed and drapes a damp cloth over his forehead that he speaks, and though not much in words, it hits Nando like a ton of bricks. 

“Today wasn’t your fault.” 

Nando doesn’t say anything; he just watches, wide eyed, as Mat busies his hands by tucking the blankets tighter around Nando’s frame. 

“I know you think it was and that you will continue to think it was, but, the way I see it, Ren is fine, and though you’re hurt, it could have been way worse.” Mat pauses, leaving his hand resting atop Nando’s covered thigh. “I could have lost two really important people today, but I didn’t. I take that as a win.” 

It’s as if the gears in Nando’s brain rust over until they chip and crumble into a pile of non-functional scraps in his mind. The only one still churning is stuttering on one word: imporant. 

-ndo? Nando!”

Nando blinks slowly. Mat’s face is crowding his vision, and his fingers are brushing against his cheek. He can feel his face growing hotter; though, he knows this isn’t the fever. 

“Sorry, what were you saying?” 

Mat leans back with a loud sigh, raking his fingers through his hair. “I was saying how it looked like you completely checked out on me, and as it turns out, you did.” He offers a tired smile. “Geez, Forehead, don’t scare me like that.” 

Huffing, Nando pokes at the cloth draped over his forehead. “You can’t even see my forehead right now.” 

“Right, but it still haunts my dreams, so I _know_ it’s there.” 

“I want to page a new doctor,” Nando mutters flatly, and Mat laughs again, real this time, quiet but warm, and Nando can’t help but smile along with it. 

“You gonna be okay?” Mat asks after a comfortable minute Nando doesn’t want to end. 

“Of course,” Nando assures, and he narrows his eyes until Mat gives in with a sigh as he slips off the bed. 

“How about, if you need something, text me? I’ve gotten used to waking up at the first vibration. It won’t wake Ren; he’s sleeping like a rock now.” 

Nando nods, eyes following Mat’s movements to the door, lingering on Mat’s gaze when Mat looks over his shoulder. 

“Feel better. And, try not to stress anymore about today, okay? You’re both safe, and that’s all that matters.” 

Nando manages a meek nod, and it’s not until he’s sure Mat’s back in bed with Ren that he drags the blankets up and over his face to hide the angry flush, that’s sorely not equated to his fever, coloring his cheeks and creeping up to the tips of his ears. 

**Author's Note:**

> Everyone please go read this web comic! It's created by Blau, and it's so so so good! It's on WebToon!


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